Women’s Hoops to Face at Least 16 Postseason Teams
2018-19 Women’s Basketball Schedule
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The 2018-19 schedule should be quite the challenge for The University of New Mexico women’s basketball team under the direction of third-year head coach Mike Bradbury. The 29-game schedule features 16 games against teams that made it to the postseason a year ago, two in-season tournaments including the WNIT, and 16 home games.
And because of those two tournaments, those are the bare minimums. It’s possible UNM could play up to 31 games in the regular season, and face 21 postseason teams. It’s a schedule that will certainly prepare UNM for whatever comes its way during the season.
The highlights of the non-conference season are a pair of tournaments, the WNIT and the Lobo Invitational, as well as a visit to Dreamstyle Arena by perennial power Oklahoma. UNM will open its 2018-19 season with a pair of exhibitions, on October 30 and November 3 against Lubbock Christian and Eastern New Mexico, before hosting the opening round of the WNIT against Texas State on Friday, November 9, the first of 16 guaranteed games against postseason teams from a year ago.
UNM would continue with a home game against either Auburn or Nichols State with a win over Texas State. The semifinals are slated for Nov. 13 through the 15, and the championship game is on November 18. Should UNM lose prior to the finals, then the team will play in a consolation game, most likely at home and most likely on Saturday, November 17.
The other in-season tournament is the Lobo Invitational, which will take place Wednesday and Thursday, December 19 and 20. UNM will take on Sacramento State on Wednesday, and face either Hampton or Stephen F. Austin on Thursday. A meeting with Stephen F. Austin would give UNM another postseason opponent as the Lumberjacks advanced to the WNIT.
UNM plays two teams nicknamed “Lumberjacks” as the Lobos travel to Northern Arizona, one of four non-conference road games. Other road opponents are Long Beach State, New Mexico State and Houston, which is UNM’s first road opponent on November 24. Both New Mexico State and Houston played in the WNIT in 2018.
Undoubtedly, the biggest name on the schedule is the Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12. The Sooners and the Lobos met last year, and Oklahoma ended UNM’s school record winning streak to open the season. Oklahoma advanced to the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team in 2017-18. The game with Oklahoma will be on Wednesday night, November 28.
A pair of regional rivals appear in Dreamstyle Arena on back-to-back dates with New Mexico State on December 1 and UTEP on December 5. Overall, UNM will play seven of 11 non-conference dates at home, with the potential for nine should UNM advance to the finals of the WNIT.
“I’m really excited about the non-conference schedule for this year,” said head coach Mike Bradbury. “As usual, it’s very challenging with more than half our games against teams that made it to the postseason. I’m looking forward to the great competition and the quality teams that will play in front of our great fans at The Pit.”
| Schedule Notes |
| NCAA Teams – 2 – Oklahoma, Boise State |
| WNIT Teams – 6 – Texas State, Houston, New Mexico State [2], UNLV [2], Colorado State [2], Wyoming [2] |
| WBI Teams – 2 – Fresno State [2], Nevada [2] |
The conference slate begins for UNM on January 2 with the only meeting of the season with Air Force, with the game at Dreamstyle Arena. In the Mountain West, the Lobos play every conference opponent twice except for two, with this year’s single opponents being Air Force at home and Boise State on the road. The Broncos, who won’t face UNM in Albuquerque, will host UNM at the tail-end of the season on Monday, March 4.
The Lobos will host Colorado State and San Diego State on back-to-back home dates on January 12 and 16, and they will do the same with Utah State and San José State on February 20 and 27, with a bye thrown in between the two.
Senior day for the Lobos will be on Thursday, March 7 against Wyoming. That is the final regular season game before the conference tournament begins on Sunday, March 10 with three opening round games. The tournament continues each day until the championship on Wednesday night at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.